Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Experiential Entrepreneurship (Oakland)

Weekday classes run from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with a lunch break, and evenings and weekends are set aside for social activities. You move in on Sunday 20 June 2027 and move out on Friday 2 July.

Northeastern's sample schedule shows the startup work building up over the two weeks. The first week is about ideas and customers, with sessions such as Systematic Search Ideation, Customer Empathy, Mind Mapping and Design Thinking, and it ends with a concept presentation. The second week turns to the business itself, covering competition and positioning, market size and research, pricing and distribution, branding and go-to-market strategy, before practice pitches and final presentations. Each week includes a field trip with lunch off campus, and guest speakers come in during the second week.

Most evenings are dinner followed by optional social activities, and the middle weekend has off-campus outings on both days. Northeastern says the sample schedule is illustrative and may change.

Northeastern says most of its pre-college programs are led by Northeastern faculty, supported by other faculty, instructors or graduate students, and current Northeastern students may serve as teaching assistants. This program adds Bay Area industry professionals, who advise teams on finding and growing an audience, business planning, product development, negotiation and pitch presentations. We couldn't find the names of the summer 2027 instructors in Northeastern's published material, and Northeastern notes that faculty assignments can change.

Groups are fairly small, with 15 to 30 students in a typical program, although Northeastern says enrollment varies.

You need to be a rising junior or senior in high school by the time the program starts, but meeting that bar doesn't guarantee a place. Northeastern reviews each application holistically, weighing academics, extracurriculars and everything else equally, and says it wants motivated students who are passionate about the subject and ready for a rigorous program.

The application itself is short, so the personal statement carries most of your case. Northeastern asks it to cover your passion for the subject, why you want to enroll and what you hope to gain, which leaves room for a concrete idea or project that shows why entrepreneurship draws you.

• Transcript

  An unofficial high school transcript or report cards.

• Personal statement

  Up to 250 words.

• Reference

  Optional. You can give the name and contact details of a teacher or counselor.

Applications go through Northeastern's pre-college admissions page, and the priority round is the safest bet. Northeastern may stop taking applications for a popular program after the priority deadline, and because it admits more students than it has places, spots go to the admitted students who pay their deposit first.

1. 1

   The online application opens in early December 2026.

2. 2

   Priority round: apply by 15 January 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET, get your decision by email in early February and pay the deposit by 18 February 2027.

3. 3

   Regular round: apply by 28 February 2027, hear back in mid-March and pay the deposit by 1 April 2027.

4. 4

   Late round: apply by 15 March 2027, hear back in early April and pay the deposit by 15 April 2027.

5. 5

   Once admitted, pay the deposit as soon as you can, because Northeastern says programs typically fill before the deposit deadline.

6. 6

   Pay the full balance by 1 May 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The total is $6,995, which covers tuition, course materials, a room in the residence hall, meals and social activities for the 12 days. Travel to and from Oakland isn't on that list, so budget for it separately, and every student needs health or travel health insurance that covers them where the program runs for its full length. Northeastern also says most of its programs require students to bring a personal laptop.

Every admitted student is considered for need-based aid, which usually comes as a scholarship or a program discount on the fee. You ask for it within the application by giving your family's adjusted gross income from the latest federal tax return and the number of dependents in your household, with space to explain anything else about your finances, and the award arrives with your admission decision. Some partner high schools and community organizations also sponsor students.

You pay in two parts. A non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition, worked out after any aid or discount, holds your place, and the balance is due by 1 May 2027. There's no formal payment plan, but Northeastern asks families who need more time to email the pre-college team, and it says families have paid with 529 college savings funds in the past.

Northeastern staff live in the residence hall with students, and everyone must be back in the building by 9:00 p.m. each night. Student Life staff, a mix of professionals and current Northeastern students, run residential life and the social program, and Bay Area field trips and outings are chaperoned.

Outside curfew hours, students can explore the 135-acre campus, but leaving it on their own takes a leave request from a parent or guardian. Meals are in the dining hall, catered or at local eateries, and you can list allergies and dietary needs on the program form so staff can work with NU Dining to meet them as far as they can.